Ethel has been a nurse for over 50 years, 10 of them with Lifespark. Years ago, when she worked with us, she said, “There’s a beauty about being over 50 that people don’t realize – you can draw from years of experience on many things that seem common sense to you now but didn’t come naturally to me when I was younger.”
It’s that experience that has become the muse behind our new advice column for seniors and their families – Ask Ethel –which pays homage to Ethel’s real-life example of never settling for outdated aging beliefs.
“Dear Abby” and “Dear Ann Landers” were decades long advice columns that gained popularity for their quick wit, relatable content, and practical advice with a modern twist. People often bought newspapers as much for their column as the crossword puzzle and obituary section. It was the Google of its time.
What we know from these advice columns and from the health care professionals we work with, it’s human instinct to seek out advice. People aren’t always looking for just expert advice but a sounding board, a friend, or confidant, to validate their feelings.
We’ve seen it in our work with seniors and their families. They’re not always comfortable asking their adult children, friend, or even their doctor some of their questions, but they’ll ask our nurses.
That’s what Ask Ethel is really all about – a culmination of some of the common questions we’ve heard and some we’ve yet to hear. Answering them publicly provides a place to read and learn from others. We’ve had questions spurred by a daughter who thinks she knows what Mom wants, a dad who doesn’t want anyone to know about his rather personal health issue, or someone questioning if it’s time for hospice and the best way to broach that with family members who are struggling with the idea. Others are more specific – should I get a geriatrician or stay with my primary care doctor and is my anxiety over falling normal?
For us, that’s exactly what Ask Ethel will provide. An anonymous place to ask your aging-related questions and get a written response from a collective of senior-savvy experts who are nurses, caregivers, physicians, therapists, enrollment specialists, senior living gurus, and sons and daughters of aging parents.
And if there’s someone out there who has a question that matters but is afraid to ask it, let Ethel be your confidant. She’ll give you peace of mind with a vetted, compassionate, trusted response. You may not always like what she has to say but we promise it will be real, authentic, and provide a little dose of magnificence as you age.
Go on – Ethel is waiting for your question…. We’ll answer them monthly on our Ask Ethel landing page.
To see some common questions, check out our Ask Ethel page and share with others. We’re currently taking questions!
